Valentine's Day Names

Loving choice.

Euston is best known as a London railway station, which got its name from a stately home and village in the English county of Suffolk. Ultimately it is thought to mean "settlement of a person called Efe". Unlike its Top 1000 soundalike Houston (as in Texas), Euston has never been recording on the charts.

In Hindu mythology, Urvashi is the name of a powerful and beautiful nymph. It's a popular name borne by both Indian actresses (Urvashi Rautela) and archivists (Urvashi Vaidi).

This Irish Gaelic name would be more accessible in other cultures in its modern Dervla form.

A soft and lovely Hebrew name with an equally lovely meaning. Variations include Ahavah, Ahaba, Ahabah, Ahuva and Ahuvah.

Milos, typically spelled Miloš, derives from various names including the Slavic element, milŭ , such as Miloslav, Bogomil, or Milrad. Popular in the Czech Republic, the name is also used in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovakia

Carita may feel like an endearing nickname but it's a name in its own right, used throughout Scandinavia in this form and as Karita, Caritas, and Karitas as a variation on Charity.

Zuleika is a high-wire act of a name that might appeal to the intrepid baby namer, Like most 'Z'-starting girls' names, it projects a cool, strong aura, as exemplified by the character in Max Beerbohm's satirical 1910 novel, Zuleika Dobson, a heroine so gorgeous that the entire student body of Oxford University committed collective suicide at the sight of her.

Rhythmic name sometimes associated with calypso singer King Ajamu.

In the Shona language of souther Africa, this simple and wearable boys' name means love.

This sweet-sounding and sweet meaning name is popular across the Middle East and Central Asia. Notable bearers include actress Nazanin Boniadi and British-Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, whose arrest and imprisonment in Iran in 2016 continues to make headlines.

This Latin word for love is not traditionally used as a name, but why not? It's got a pretty sound and some distinctive flair. Variants Amori or Amorie can also be thought of as different spellings of Amory, which has a very different meaning and roots. Only downside: Sounds almost exactly like "amorous," meaning in the mood for love, which could provoke some adolescent teasing.

Amarissa is kind of cobbled together from two traditional elements: Ama, which means "love" or "lover" and is found in such more established names as Amabel and Amariah, and -issa, which is a common feminine suffix that functions as a diminutive. While Amarissa is pretty and frilly, it may frequently be misunderstood as Marissa, Melissa, and may ultimately be more trouble than it's worth.

This Dutch name stems from the Greek root word "philos" meaning "love". It is relatively common in the Netherlands.

Didier is kind of a Desiree for boy--a lively, confident name that's widely used in France and has definite possibilities here. It's the name of an early French saint.

Didier is kind of a Desiree for boy--a lively, confident name that's widely used in France and has definite possibilities here. It's the name of an early French saint.

Multisyllabic New Testament relic dimly recalled from the Thornton Wilder novel Theophilus North.

Where as a serenade is an evening love song, an aubade is sung first thing in the morning.

Tyas is an unusual Indonesian name that's simple and straightforward and could make an distinctive choice in the Western World.

Romance may initially strike you as too ardent of a name for a baby, but given that Love has been a fast-rising name in recent years — not to mention soundalikes Roman and Romy — Romance is well-suited to our current naming climate. Presently, it makes the charts for baby boys but not baby girls.